International Studebaker Meet Coming To Mansfield

The Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. (SDC) has announced the selection of Mansfield as site of the 2019 SDC International Meet. Studebaker owners from across North America and beyond will bring their classic Studebakers and families to Mansfield for a week of history, fun, and comradery.

SDC Members will show their vehicles, share information and memories, and even participate in concours judging. The 55th Annual SDC International Meet will take place at the Richland County Fairgrounds in Mansfield from September 8-14, 2019. This event will bring an estimated 1,300 people to the area during the week-long event. These visitors will stay in hotels across the county and generate an estimated $1.1 million in economic impact on Richland County.

For car enthusiasts who are not members of the club, the SDC invites the public to the Studebaker Car Show on Saturday, September 14 at the Fairgrounds. There will be a nominal gate fee for the show. Guests will have access to view the cars as well as the exhibits and parts vendors from the meet. The club expects to have 300 to 400 cars at the show including original, restored, modified, and modern cars which were produced in the US until 1963 and in Ontario, Canada until 1966. Larger commercial-style trucks and fire trucks will also be a part of the meet.

“There is a quote the five Studebaker brothers made famous: ‘Always give more than you promise.’ It was something they lived by, and something I’ve lived by,” says SDC Board International Meet Chairman, Denny Foust. Foust hopes to bring that energy to this year’s Meet. “It’ll be a great week in Mansfield. The fairgrounds will be abuzz with activity all week long. The public should watch for Studebakers on city streets and mark their calendars now to see the car show at the Fairgrounds on September 14 to see what we are all about.”

“We are honored to welcome the Studebaker Drivers Club International to the Mansfield area,” said Lee Tasseff, President, Destination Mansfield – Richland County. “We know they have many choices for locations to hold their conventions and meets across the country. Beyond economic impact to our area, we appreciate the prestige events like this bring to a region. We look forward to showcasing our world-class motorsports facilities and attractions and welcoming the event to our communities. It will be great seeing all these historic cars in town.”

This is the first International Meet to be held by the club in Ohio in 42 years and involves the participation of the host chapter, Heart of Ohio, Tri-State, Ohio Region, and Western Lake Erie chapters of SDC, as well as thousands of members from the US and around the world.

In 1835, John Clement Studebaker moved from Pennsylvania with his three sons, Henry, Clement and John Mohler Studebaker to set up a home and blacksmith shop on US 250 in Ashland. A historical marker stands at this location. Two additional sons, Peter and Jacob were born here and all would go on to found Studebaker Corporation. The legacy of Studebaker Corporation began in 1848 when the family moved from Ashland to South Bend, Indiana and the two oldest Studebaker Brothers, Henry and Clement opened the H&C Blacksmith shop. The Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, as it was known then, was formed in 1868 and produced horse-drawn buggies through the First World War. Studebaker produced its first gas-powered car in 1913. Throughout their history, the Studebaker Company produced cars, vans, buses, large trucks and military vehicles. US production ended with the closing of the South Bend, Indiana factory in December 1963.

The Studebaker Drivers Club (SDC) was founded on August 6, 1962 by the late Harry Barnes with the purpose of honoring the Studebaker automobile and all Studebaker-related products. Boasting more than 11,500 members, there are more than 100 chartered SDC local chapters across the US and around the world.

Stay up to date with the Meet and other events this summer on the website of Destination Mansfield – Richland County.